News Early-intervention For Sociopaths?

[scout86]

And here I was imagining traumatizing psychopaths in an attempt to "cure" them.......

I was thinking about this this AM, and wondering if there might, actually, be some grounds for feeling compassion for psychopaths, for their own sake, not just self defense.

 

[Eleanor]

They can't have.... whole?... relationships. No friends. No falling in love or loving someone else. Just keeping score? I don't know...What an empty life. I'd rather be a dog I think.

 

[Hashi]

I'm confused. The thread title is about sociopaths. The article seems to be about psychopaths. Am I misunderstanding something?

 

[scout86]

@Hashi. I think it says somewhere in the article that they are basically the same thing. I can remember. at some point, reading that there is some kind of distinction, but don't remember what, exactly, it was. So, maybe the rest of us are misunderstanding something, if there's a clear and distinct difference.

 

[joeylittle]

I can remember. at some point, reading that there is some kind of distinction, but don't remember what, exactly, it was.

@Hashi, that was totally my mistake typing the title.

Loosely, the leading distinction is that sociopaths develop the condition/symptoms from social and/or environmental factors. Psychopaths have a combination of genetic neuro/biological factors and environmental influence. Or, sociopaths are made, psychopaths are born. There's a really great chart at this link that summarizes everything I've ever seen on the subject: http://psychologia.co/psychopath-vs-sociopath/

In the DSM V they are both now under the rubric of Anti-social Personality Disorder. And that's why I get them mixed up now.

Anyone should feel free to edit the title:)

 

[Philippa]

@scout86 The idea of having compassion for psychopaths never really crossed my mind. I always thought of them as not really human, given that they lack the essential components that are what being human is. I kind of thought of them as a totally different species who operated as sharks in disguise as the rest of us actually and scoffed at people trying to promote the idea that they are somehow mentally ill or worthy of compassion. Really interesting article.